Gov. Rick Scott's bold ethics reform promise: stalled or dropped?

Long before the Legislature saw the need for new ethics laws, Gov. Rick Scott made a bold commitment to fight public corruption.

But he hasn’t followed through.

On his first day in office in 2011, Scott issued an executive order that preserved an Office of Open Government and added a new code of conduct for everyone working for him that in some areas was stricter than state law.

The order also directed Scott’s then-special counsel, Hayden Dempsey, to study a fresh statewide grand jury report on public corruption and push parts of it through the Legislature. But nothing came of it, even though Scott demanded in his campaign in 2010 that he be held accountable for his promises.

“This was a promise of the governor,” said Dan Krassner of Integrity Florida. “Florida needs Gov. Scott’s leadership on ethics reform.”

Two years later, the grand jury’s recommendations on what it called “an enormous issue, which is broad in scope and long in history” are still not law, though parts are in an ethics bill that passed the Senate Tuesday. More from Steve Bousquet here. 

Comments

[Pink Slip Rick]

Pink Slip Rick

We will never forgive or forget.

[Can't take anymore]

Tricky Rick is just blowing smoke about reforming ethics. Once in office he realized they might also apply to him and therefore were permanently off the table. Our whole political system is now strictly a pay-to-play game. Just watch how Gaetz and Weatherford dance away from the lofty goals they espoused before the new legislative session started.